A Legend of Zelda Story
by Twilight Hero
Summary: When Link accidentally kills a fairy, he travels to Hyrule Castle to see Zelda and use the Ocarina of Time. But things go horribly wrong once he arrives.
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the forgotten realm of Hyrule lies a beautiful forest. The denizens of this forest are a strange race: all children, eternally children. Each has his or her own guardian fairy. All but one. There is one boy who has no fairy. He has been having nightmares lately. He is tossing and turning in his sleep when a small golden fairy arrives.

The fairy tries futilely to wake him. He is not ugly, she muses. She has been observing him the past few days. He has messy blond hair, mostly covered by a green conical hat that hangs down below his shoulders most of the time. His wide blue eyes are partially obscured by what little hair hangs across his forehead. His nose is one of his most prominent features. His green tunic is washed every week, and is split by a bandolier that is draped from his left shoulder to the opposite hip. A sheath is belted on this bandolier, empty right now. A pair of leather boots sits next to his bed, and a belt is wrapped around them. There is a small sword lying on the floor next to the boots, and a wooden shield underneath. Again, she calls out to him. This time, whether he hears her or just chooses that moment to wake up, his eyes flutter open. He sits up, stretches, and yawns. Then he notices the fairy. He cocks his head and asks a question. She smiles, although he cannot see this tiny gesture of affirmation, and replies that yes, she is his fairy.

He asks her name. "Navi," she replies.

The boy picks up his sword and leaps to his feet. "No," he breathes.

Navi is puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I had a fairy once. Her name was Navi. You are definitely not her." He shakes his head and swings his sword at her, deliberately missing to scare her off. She doesn't know his intentions, though, and tries to dodge out of the way of the weapon. Instead, she flies into it. The flat of the blade smacks her. She flies through the air and slams into the wall. Her limp body topples to the ground.

The boy falls to his knees. The sword tumbles from his fingers. He prays to the goddesses to help him through this, and he picks up "Navi's" body. Then he walks out of his house in shock.


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I

**Link**

As I walked out of the treehouse in which I lived, I was in a state of shock. Somewhere, some part of my brain told me I had to leave the forest, that the Kokiri would lynch me if they found out that I had killed a fairy, that it didn't matter if it was an accident. I couldn't go to anyone for comforting words or help, though. What would I do? Killing a fairy was the worst thing a Kokiri could ever do, and I couldn't get anyone to help me! Saria would never return to the forest. The Great Deku Tree was dead. It occurred to me to use the Ocarina of Time to speak to Saria, but I didn't have it anymore, having given it up to Zelda.

Zelda!

Rushing back into my house, I donned my boots, belt, and bandolier. I placed the mysterious fairy's limp body into the pouch in which my ocarina had rested and sealed it. Strapping my shield onto my right arm, I picked up and sheathed the Kokiri Sword. Then I left the house again.

There was a Kokiri boy coming up the ladder leading to my house, probably to greet me as usual. I leaped over him, crouching silently on the ground when I landed. I didn't have time to stop and enjoy the beauty of the forest; instead, I charged at the girl blocking the way out of the forest, then dodged around her and ran out into Hyrule Field.

Running across Hyrule Field, I avoided monsters, not having time to fight. I entered Market town a short while later. Hurtling through the town, I reached and walked up the path to Hyrule Castle, ignoring everyone who shouted at me for bumping in to them or whatever ridiculous complaints they had.

Once at Hyrule Castle's gate, I decided to take the short way through. I hurried up to the guard outside the gate. "I need to speak to the Princess. Now!"

He began laughing, then he stopped. "Hey, I remember you! You're that kid who wanted to be let in a few months ago! Well, kid, the answer's still no!"

He didn't understand my vital need to see her. I took the easy was through and knocked him out with the flat of my sword, remembering, with a sick feeling, the fairy in my ocarina pouch that I had killed the same way…

I quickly scaled the gate and dropped down to the other side. Then, after deciding against stealth (I didn't have time! I had to talk to Zelda _now!_), I threw caution to the winds and simply ran through the outer courtyard. The guards saw me, and tried to catch me, but I was too fast and agile. Dodging around a guard, I encountered another and took a swipe at him, again getting that sick feeling…

In the end, I was surrounded by guards on all sides. There was only one way out of this—I couldn't fly, after all! I performed a Spin Attack. The sword caught one of the men in the chest. I saw a spurt of blood, but also an opportunity—the man collapsed, leaving me an opening. Without a second thought, I took it and sprinted for the brick wall that I had climbed on a day that seemed so very, very long ago…

I felt hands touch my shoulder and immediately shook them off. Then I whirled around with my sword out, now feeling nauseated at all the bloodshed I was causing. There was a flash of silver and a splash of red, and another body lay on the ground. I felt tears in my eyes, because of what I had become: a murderer.

I felt more hands on me, and rolled to get them off. I did not want to kill anymore. The roll slowed me down, though. A guard leaped on me, pushing me to the ground. I was relieved of my sword. The guards dragged me to the dungeons and threw me in roughly.

"We'll be back," hissed one, who was missing several teeth. "And the princess will be with us. We'll see what she has to say to you!"

With that, they left, leaving me to my frenzied, troubled thoughts.


	3. Chapter II

**Chapter II**

**Zelda**

I was interrupted in the vigorous action of staring out the window by a pounding at the door of my room. I glanced at it, then called, "Come in."

A couple of sweaty soldiers that looked as if they'd just been fighting entered my room. "Your Highness," one gasped. "There is a boy…we have captured a boy that asks to speak with you…he has killed two soldiers. We thought it best if you see what he wants before we execute him…"

I pondered this for a moment, then ordered, "Take me to him."

We made our way down to the dungeons, and I was wondering who this boy was and what he could possibly want from me. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of the dank and moldy dungeon before we even entered it. The soldiers led me farther and farther in until it seemed I could go no further without gagging. There they stopped, and indicated a cell. I turned towards it and received the shock of my life.

Link was sitting in the cell!

"All right, kid," spat the guard. "Whaddya want?"

Link ignored him and surged to the front of the cell. "Zelda! Oh, Zelda! I need to use the Ocarina of Time! And I really, really need to talk to you as well!"

"Who are you?" I asked, drawing myself up haughtily. He looked hopeless, and retreated.

"Zelda! You know me!" He didn't sound very sure of himself, though. "It's me, Link!"

"I have no idea who you are," I exclaimed, winking at him. I had to fight to keep the smile off my face. He looked as though he were doing the same. I turned to the soldiers. "Have this boy executed at dawn tomorrow, in the center of Market Town so that everyone can watch. I want nothing more to do with him."

With that, I turned and strode out of the dungeons.

* * *

Dusk fell. It was time for me to go see Link again. I opened my door silently and looked around. There was no one in the corridor, so I exited my room and shut the door again.

Thankfully, I didn't meet anyone on the way down to the dungeons. There was a minor problem, however: there was still a guard at Link's cell. I solved this problem by hurling a loose brick at his head. He collapsed, clutching at his neck instead. (I had terrible aim.)

"Zelda?" Link's whispering voice came from the shadows.

"Yeah," I murmured. "Link, we have to get you out of here! I ordered you killed!"

"Yeah…I noticed that…but we need my sword still."

I bent down to speak to the guard. "Where is this boy's sword?" I asked harshly.

His response was to cough up a little blood. "Oh, man, don't make me use magic on you…" I muttered. He began vomiting.

I hurriedly began casting a spell, but was interrupted. "Zelda," Link murmured. "Pour this down his throat." And he offered me a bottle of thick red liquid.

"What is it?"

"Potion. It'll heal him. Get it down his throat!"

I waited for a lapse in the vomit, then swiftly poured the potion into his mouth and pulled propped his head and upper body at a slant. He swallowed, and started talking.

"Sword…in armory…" he gasped.

"And give me the keys," I ordered.

He handed me the key to Link's cell and I opened it. Link exited the cell with a relieved look on his face, and embraced me. We exchanged a few words of greeting and hurried off to the armory.

When we reached it, he opened the door and strode inside. And there was his sword, just lying on the ground as if it had been tossed in without thought. He scooped it up and sheathed it again.

"Zelda, I need to use the Ocarina of Time to talk to my friend Saria. I've killed a fairy, Zelda. I need help. And I need to talk to you about something as well. But the Ocarina is the most important thing right now. Where is it?"

"It…it was stolen from me."

"By whom?"

"A sorcerer named Vaati. He announced himself to me before knocking me out and taking it…that was two days ago. He said he was gonna use it to revive Ganondorf!"

"What? Ridiculous!"

"No, _Hero,_" came the unmistakable voice of the Gerudo King. "Not ridiculous. For he stands here before you!"

And then he appeared. I screamed, but Link immediately leaped into action. Literally leaped. He jumped aside and pushed me away as Ganondorf tried to slice me in half with his sword. Then the hero leaped, rolled forward, and stabbed Ganon through the heart.

The evil man looked down at the sword sticking out of his chest. Then he took one last choking breath and collapsed as Link wrenched the bloodstained sword out from between his ribs.

"Come on, Zelda!" he shouted, as the sound of boots running reached our ears. And together we ran for the castle gate…

**A/N: **Thank you, THE-complete-zelda-fan, for subscribing to my story! And anyone else who reads this, please leave a review!


	4. Chapter III

**Chapter III**

**Vaati**

Ganondorf! That useless _bastard!_ How could he have gotten himself killed by a mere kid?!? Stupid idiot!

I stormed back and forth across the room. Now, you have to understand that when I say _stormed_, I don't mean "stomped". I mean _STORMED!_ Lightning crackled outside, and hurricane-force winds blew bricks from the outer wall of my room across the room, to be pulverized against the opposite wall. It was a tribute to my power that even in my anger, I managed to stop any objects from hitting me. Still, you didn't want to be in the same room with me when I was angry. Annoyed, sure. Mildly pissed off was also fine. But my anger was something to watch out for.

The Skull Kid telepathically contacted me. {Calm down!} he snapped. {Calm down and meet me in the main chamber. We need to call our forces together for a little meeting.}

I pondered this for a few seconds. Then I stopped the raging storm and exited my room, responding, {I'm on my way.}

**A/N:** This chapter's short, so I'm adding two. Keep reading!


	5. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

**Link**

As we ran, I wondered why Zelda had nearly killed the guard instead of just ordering him away. It was the first thing I asked, although it was by no means the first thing on my mind.

She just gave me a strange look. "_That's_ what's on your mind?" she asked a few seconds later.

"Turn here," I replied, and continued our conversation. "Well, not _primarily._ But…still. Couldn't you have just ordered him to go away?"

She was silent for a moment before responding, "Well, actually, probably not. The guards—go left—aren't going to leave me with a murderer. Also, that didn't really cross my mind; I was just focused on getting us outta there."

"Which we should still be focused on now," I concluded.

"Right," she replied. We continued running. After a few seconds, I grabbed her arm and we stopped. I listened. I heard the heavy tramp of boots coming from all directions. I swore and pulled Zelda through a nearby door. The noise passed by. I waited for a second before pulling the door open a crack and peering out, sword ready. When I was assured of our safety, I stepped outside. When I wasn't killed, I beckoned at Zelda. We continued running.

Eventually, we made it out of the castle without being apprehended. Once outside, we hurried away towards Market Town. Using the darkness, we slipped past the guards and made it into the market with no incident.

"Where now?" Zelda asked.

I made a quick decision. "Temple of Time," I replied.

She looked at me, puzzled. "Why?"

"If I pull the Master Sword out of its pedestal, it might transport us to the Chamber of Sages. Once there, I can talk to Saria and we can consult with the Sages to see if they can help us discover how to get the Ocarina back."

"Good plan," she commented. "But there's one little problem."

"What's that?" I asked.

"We don't have the Ocarina."

I stared at her blankly.

"Ocarina of _Time_…Door of _Time_…"

I felt like banging my head on that door until I got through.


	6. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

**Zelda**

"What do we do?" Link asked me.

I stared off into the distance, thinking. "I don't know, Link. I really don't."

Suddenly, he started. "I still have the ocarina Saria gave me!"

"It won't open the Door of Time," I replied flatly.

"No, but it _will_ let me talk to Saria." He pulled a brown ocarina out of one of his pouches. He raised it to his lips, closed his eyes, and played a short song. He waited briefly before stepping away to talk. I couldn't hear what he said, but he seemed upset. When he came back, he seemed to be forcing back tears.

"What is it, Link?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Forget it."

I opened my mouth, but he held up his hand, and I shut it again.

"Saria and the other Sages have agreed to open the Door of Time for us and give us transportation to the Sacred Realm. So we should go."

I nodded slowly, still trying to figure out what was bothering him so much. Before I could say anything else, he turned towards the Temple of Time and strode off, leaving me to follow. Which I did.

**  
A/N: **Thank you, shinestar, for favoriting this story. Also, two more chapters this time, 'cause these are short...ish.


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

**Vaati**

When I emerged into the round center chamber of our hideout, the Temple of Light, I glanced around. The Skull Kid was surrounded by other evils of Hyrule. I surveyed them contemptuously. None was as powerful as I. Morpha, Dark Link, Gohma, Phantom Ganon, Twinrova, and many others. There were also dark recreations of each of the sages, and the three goddesses: Arias (Saria), Otur (Ruto), Uruar (Rauru), Ainurad (Darunia), Apmi (Impa), Urooban (Nabooru), Nid (Din), Uryan (Nayru), and Eroraf (Farore). Kind of obvious, really. But you can't have everything you want. Each of the recreations was as powerful as its counterpart, which means that I'm more powerful than the goddesses. Power is nice.

I beckoned the Skull Kid over. "What's going on?"

"Arias intercepted an attempt at a transmission between the hero and Saria. She played the role of Saria and agreed to open the path to the Sacred Realm for him. He and the princess are on their way now."

I grinned. "Excellent." Then I raised myself into the air. "Silence!" I roared. After a few seconds, the Chamber of Sages was noiseless. I made a big show of looking everyone over. Finally, I called, "Who knows why we're here?"

Nobody made a noise.

"Then let me explain. In the past, the hated Link has thwarted nearly all of us. Correct?"

A growl of affirmation rippled through the room.

"Well, the winds of change are blowing." I allowed a small wind to float through the room. "This time, we shall kill Link and Zelda…and blanket Hyrule in darkness!"

A cheer went up. It stopped abruptly as a flash of white light…uh…flashed in the center of the room. Those around it fell back. When the light vanished, Link and Zelda were standing in the middle of the Triforce symbol on the floor. I recovered my composure the soonest, and I grinned.

"This may happen sooner than I planned!" I announced to my assistants. Then I raised my palm. A green ball of light began forming there. I grinned again. "Say goodnight!"

Then I threw the spell.


	8. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

**Link**

We arrived in the Chamber of Sages, which was expected. What was weird was the fact that we were completely surrounded by monsters. Many of them were familiar, but some were new…the dark versions of the Sages, for example. And that man floating above everyone else in the purple robes. I unsheathed my sword and shoved Zelda between myself and the man.

"This may happen sooner than I planned!" called the man. He grinned and a green ball of light began to form on his palm. I realized he was a sorcerer. "Say goodnight!" he added, and tossed the spell at me.

I immediately decided to try out the tried-and-true method of defeating evil sorcerers. "Goodnight," I replied cordially, and swung my sword at the spell. It didn't have the desired effect. In fact, it electrified me via the sword. Thousands of volts spread through my body. I dropped the weapon and collapsed. Blackness hovered on the edges of my vision, and I fought for consciousness. I lost, though, and passed out.


	9. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

**Zelda**

"Vaati," I spat.

"Yes," he admitted.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Well, I was uncomfortable. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that I was surrounded by evil monsters without anything I could use to defend myself.

_Except one thing,_ I realized. I had enough magic power to stave off one attacker. Then I could warp us out of here, to somewhere very, very close.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to distract him.

"Leading an army to slaughter you two," he replied. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me."

I placed my foot on Link's chest, moving it very slowly so as not to draw attention to it. "What makes you think we can't stop you?"

"The fact that I'm about to kill you."

"Ah. That would prevent us from defeating you, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, it really would."

"Too bad," I replied, and began casting Farore's Wind. Just as I predicted, he began charging up another ball of green light. As he released it, I shot a beam of light from my hand, blocking the magic attack. Before he could hurl another, we vanished from the Chamber of Sages and appeared in the Temple of Time. There was, however, a minor problem.

Link's sword was still there!


	10. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

**Vaati**

"Farore damn it!" I shouted. With a great effort, I controlled my temper just enough to stop a storm from brewing. "You stupid bunch of incompetents! You let them get away! You were surrounding them! Damn it, I can't believe this! What the hell is your problem? When she deflected my spell, you should have grabbed them! Why are you so stupid? Din, Nayru, and Farore, you are probably the worst assistants I've ever had!"

"Boss?"

"What the hell do you need that's worth interrupting me for?" I bellowed at the Skull Kid.

"The princess forgot the hero's sword," he replied, not even reacting to my shouting.

"Best news I've heard all damn day," I muttered. "So? Is that all, or was there some point to that?"

"The point is that without his sword, the hero can't fight."

"He'll get another!"

"Yes, but he won't have time if we attack now."

"Yeah, good point. But we're not ready to attack."

"Perhaps it's time to proceed with the next step, then."

"You're right. Get the clone ready."

"Okay."

I left the room, leaving the Skull Kid with the rest of my monsters.


	11. Chapter X

**Chapter X**

**Link**

I sank through the darkness without resisting. There was no point. There was no way I could have survived Vaati's attack. I was dead for sure.

Then I realized how close I'd been to death other times in my life, and opened my eyes. It was just as black as it had been before. But I knew that I couldn't die yet. Hyrule needed me. Even if I didn't know what it was, Vaati had to have a weakness. Everything and everybody did. Dark Link's weakness was Din's Fire, or the Megaton Hammer. Ganondorf's weakness was his own magic. I didn't know Vaati's weakness, but he had to have one. And I would figure it out. No matter what the cost, I had to. For Hyrule's safety. For Zelda's safety. And to fulfill my destiny.

With that, I opened my real eyes, the eyes of my body, and found myself in the Temple of Time.

**A/N: **Two chapters today.


	12. Chapter XI

**Chapter XI**

**Zelda**

When Link came to, I cried, "Link!"

"Yep," he responded wearily. "How long have I been out?"

"An impressively short amount of time. Only a few minutes."

"Well, that's nice," he murmured, and closed his eyes again.

I hated to prevent him from sleeping, but had to. "We have a problem," I stated. His eyes flew open, and I answered his question before he could ask it. "Your sword's still in the Chamber of Sages."

He swore and leaped to his feet. "Of course," he spat. Then he looked at me quizzically. "How'd we get back here, anyway?"

"I warped us," I replied proudly, with a slight smile.

"Good job!" he replied with a huge smile. "I didn't know you could do magic already!"

"Barely," I replied. "The magic I did—countering Vaati's spell and casting Farore's Wind—left me pretty tired."

"You…you countered Vaati's spell?" he asked, looking astounded.

I broke into a huge grin. "Yep!"

He hugged me tightly. "That's amazing!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," I replied, and then calmed down. "But there's still the problem of your sword."

"Yeah," he sighed, and looked at the Master Sword. "If only I could use that," he muttered.

"There's gotta be another sword somewhere in Hyrule, one that can be used against Vaati," I stated. "You ask around Market, I'll research Hyrule's history. We have to get this done!"

"I understand. But, don't you think we should try to retrieve the Ocarina?"

"There's no point. We can't currently stand up to Vaati, and we also can't get back to the Sacred Realm."

"Is the only way in being summoned by a Sage?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Really? Oh well." He sighed. "Well, let's get going."

He glanced back at the Master Sword with a wistful look in his eyes, then we started out of the Temple of Time. As we left, there was a great scraping noise. We whirled around and saw the Door of Time closing behind us. Then we left.

As soon as we stepped out of the temple, we were attacked. Link pulled me to the ground and reached behind him to grab his sword. When he remembered that it wasn't there, he swore and ducked as the spell flew over his head. It struck the Door of Time instead. I peered up and saw that it was Vaati, trying to kill us again. But before I could do anything more than notice this, the sorcerer vanished. It was just an illusion. But the spell was real enough: there was a huge rumbling noise, and Link and I looked behind us. The Door of Time had been blasted apart, and the spell hadn't stopped there. It had struck the Master Sword, which had broken in half. It _still_ hadn't stopped, though: it had demolished the entire back wall. There appeared to be an entire uncharted forest behind the Temple of Time, unless that was Kokiri. We glanced fearfully at each other.

"Wait here," ordered Link, and he reentered the Temple of Time.

"Not a chance," I muttered, following him. I could almost hear his eyes roll as he continued walking. We skirted the pedestal on which the three Spiritual Stones rested, entered the Master Sword chamber, and stopped. He strode forward and examined the broken Master Sword before moving on to the gaping hole where the wall had been. He stepped out of the temple and into the small clearing. Looking around, he shook his head and moved on. I followed him hastily, until he pulled his shield off his back and started into the forest.

"Link?" I called. He turned around. "Are…are you gonna go in there unarmed?"

"I'll be fine," he stated dismissively. "Are you coming?"

"Link, I think that's a very bad idea. I really don't think you should go in there without some sort of weapon."

"I have a boomerang, my slingshot, and some bombs. I have my shield. I will be fine. Now are you going to accompany me or not?"

"Link…"

"Zelda, I'm going into the forest. There's nothing you can say to stop me. Now, for the last time: _are you coming?_"

"Link…"

"Zelda. I have to go in. Either follow me, or head back to the castle."

There were tears in my eyes. "Link, we both know I'll only be a nuisance. So for the goddesses' sakes, be careful. Please be careful." With that, I planted a kiss on his lips and hurried off, crying.


	13. Chapter XII

**Chapter XII**

**Vaati**

I swore. Link and Zelda had survived, and the clone had done nothing except open a secret path that led to Kokiri Forest. Big success.

I shook my head. It didn't matter. Before I could go anywhere else with that thought, the Skull Kid appeared next to me.

"Soooo…that worked well."

I smacked him. "Silence."

He moved back slightly. "Whatever. The hero's entering that place the clone opened. The princess is upset with him. Looks like she's heading back to the castle. Wanna put that illusion into effect?"

I smiled. "Yes. Definitely."

The Skull Kid nodded. "I'll get right on it." Then he vanished.

I leaned back in my chair. Not _too_ bad. I mean, Link did lose his sword, and the clone separated him and Zelda. All in all, not a bad day.


	14. Chapter XIII

**Chapter XIII**

**Link**

Zelda gave me a kiss full on the lips and hurried off, tears in her eyes. I whirled around and watched her go, feeling sad. I hadn't meant to be so harsh. But I felt it was really important to explore this forest. What if there was something really important to the safety to Hyrule in there? Like something to beat Vaati?

Then again, what if there wasn't? What if I was wasting my time, and there was nothing of any importance in the forest? What if…what if I died?

_Whatever_, I thought dismissively. I could handle anything.

Probably.

I turned back around and gave the forest the once-over. Then I ignored my first instinct and walked past the first tree.

The world immediately changed. It seemed to dissolve, and I reappeared in what appeared to be the Sacred Realm version of Kokiri Forest. It was definitely darker, and the trees were malformed.

So there was a portal to the Sacred Realm that no one had known about, and it had therefore not been dispelled. Well, I would take advantage of it for now, and have it sealed off later. Steeling myself, I walked farther into "Kokiri" Forest.

There were no people for the first few hundred yards or so. Then I spotted someone rushing at me. It appeared to be a miniature dinosaur. I pulled out my boomerang and aimed it at the monster, just in case. S/he slid to a halt a few feet away.

"Wow!" it shouted. It was definitely a boy. "Look, everyone, he didn't change shape!"

I lowered my boomerang and smiled slightly. I usually got this reaction when I was in the Sacred Realm—not that that had happened for a while. More creatures appeared from hiding places in bushes and the like. They all crowded around me, calling, "Hey, how'd you do it, Mister?" and "Whoa!" and "You're amazing, guy!"

"Well, I have a Moon Pearl," I replied to the first question. "That's how I stayed in my human form. What's wrong?" I asked, noticing their suddenly shocked faces.

"There's an old legend," began one, "that in times of trouble, a hero will arise."

"Yeah," continued another. "He'll come into the Sacred Realm through the last portal that's not shut off."

"He'll be swordless and battered, and when confronted will stand brave," the first went on. "And he will have a Moon Pearl."

"And in the Elemental Sanctuary…" started a third, but seemed unable to finish.

"In the Elemental Sanctuary, the hero will find a sword that can destroy evil, and…" And the second trailed off as well.

"…and using this weapon, the hero will save Hyrule and the Sacred Realm," concluded the third.

"Really," I murmured thoughtfully. "Well, can you take me to the Elemental Sanctuary?"

"Uh…yeah," replied the first. "Hey, Madison!"

One of the many creatures stepped forward. She looked like a rabbit.

"Take him to the sanctuary. Come straight back, though."

"Can I watch him pull out the Four Sword?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah, I s'pose. But then lead him straight back here. You!" he barked, looking at a wolf. "Bring the hero a sword!"

"Yes sir," the wolf replied, and ran off.

"Do you realize that I'll have to have this portal closed off?" I questioned.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know exactly why, but it's Hylian law that all portals to the Sacred Realm be closed off. If you wanna stay here for the rest of your life, you can. But if you don't, you should get packed. As soon as I get back to Hyrule Castle, I'm telling Zelda about this, and it'll have to be closed up. If you wanna go back to Hyrule, start packing."

The wolf reappeared with a sword clenched between its jaws. It tossed the weapon at me, and I snagged it out of the air by the hilt. It was a little big, but I assured myself that it would be fine. I turned away and sung it a few times. It was large but light. I twirled it around and tossed it from hand to hand. "Ready?" I asked my escort, who nodded meekly. I tossed the weapon back to my left hand and offered Madison my right, for comfort. She took it, seeming nervous.

"Don't worry," I whispered. "I won't hurt you, and neither will anyone else. I'll protect you. I'm the hero, remember?"

I turned to the crowd. "We're off. We'll be back soon. Pack if you want to leave!"

For the first time, Madison spoke loudly: "I want to leave. Can someone pack my stuff?"

The dinosaur nodded briefly before addressing me. "Hurry," he cautioned. "Bad things come out at night. You'll wanna be back by then."

Madison pulled on my arm. "Let's go," she muttered. "He's right. We have to hurry."

I turned away and we started off, her hand still in mine.

"You know something?" I inquired.

"What's that?" she asked.

"When I first came to the Dark World, my form was a bunny…just like you." That's when I noticed that she wasn't a bunny anymore.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "You're human! What happened?"

She glanced down at herself. "It must be 'cause I'm touching you, and you have a Moon Pearl."

I studied her. She had long dark hair that hung far below her shoulders. She was about my size, and looked to be about as old as me. She was rather pretty, although maybe not as pretty as Zelda.

She glanced behind us and gasped. I whirled around and saw a large shadow behind us. I caught only a passing glimpse of it before it vanished into the rest of the shadows. I dropped her hand and strapped my shield on. "Stay back," I commanded, and moved back towards where we had come from. As I reached the point where the shadow had been, a giant monster appeared.

"Din, Nayru, and Farore," I swore, and leaped at the thing.


	15. Chapter XIV

**Chapter XIV**

**Zelda**

I rushed back through the Temple of Time, tears streaming from my eyes. As I entered Market Town, people stared at me. Normally the princess didn't wander around unprotected. Obviously, this wasn't normally. I ignored them and hurried towards the castle. But when I arrived, I noticed that something was very wrong.

It looked vaguely like Hyrule Castle, but it was very, very dark, and covered by clouds. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. I backed away from the dark building, then I turned and ran. I ran all the way back to the Temple of Time. Then I hurried through the back wall and into the forest.

I was transported to the Sacred Realm immediately. A small dinosaur ran up to me. "What is your business here?" he asked coldly.

I glanced down at myself and did a double take. My form had changed. I was an owl!

"Has…has a young boy passed through here?" I hooted. Then I described Link.

"Yep," he replied. "What do you want with him?"

"He's my friend. And the hero. I desperately need his help!"

"Well, he went off to get the Four Sword. He'll be back soon. Meanwhile, we're packing our stuff to leave, 'cause apparently he has to seal off the portal. If you wanna wait, he'll be back. Just stay out of the way, or help us pack." With that, he turned his back and strode off. I followed him.

"The…Four Sword?" I asked.

"Yep," he repeated. "There's an old legend that says a hero will come through the last portal, and he'll need a sword. His form won't have changed. So he's supposed to go to the Elemental Sanctuary to get the Four Sword and smite the evil with it."

"I see," I replied. "Well, he's certainly a hero, and he certainly did lose his sword. But what's the Four Sword do?"

"Well, it's infused with the power of the four elements, and it's more powerful than the Master Sword. Legend has it that the one who touches it…he or she will split into four!"

"What?" I laughed. "No way."

"That's the legend, anyway. Dunno how true it is."

"How long ago did Link leave?"

"Link?"

"That's the hero's name."

"Oh. Well, he left about, I dunno, five minutes back."

"So I could catch up to him?"

"I suppose. But I wouldn't try. Dangerous things come out at night, and you could be stuck here forever if you get lost."

"That's true," I sighed. "Oh well." And I sat down on a nearby log to wait for Link's arrival.


	16. Chapter XV

Chapter XV

Vaati

Well, my illusion had definitely worked. Zelda had been scared off. Now all we had to do was get some monsters together, wait for Zelda (and possibly Link) to come back, and attack. We had worked out the plan a long time ago. The Skull Kid was to round up some Moblins, Stalfos, ReDeads, and the like. Once Zelda and Link returned, we would warp to Hyrule Castle and we would lead an attack on the castle. The real beasts (the dark Sages, Gohma, and the like) would be used to attack the castle itself, not the guards. The Skull Kid would go for Zelda. As Link rushed to her defense, I would attack him. The Skull Kid would warp away with Zelda, and I would take out Link. Once Link was dead and Zelda gone, I would follow the Skull Kid. We would sacrifice Zelda and use her death as the huge power surge needed to blanket Hyrule in eternal darkness. We would knock her out and put a spell upon her to keep her out, so that when the castle was conquered, we could offer the Hylians one last chance to offer up someone to defeat me before killing Zelda in front of them all.

I allowed myself a little snicker of pure evil. There was no way Link could stop me. The clone reported that the Master Sword had been shattered, as had the Door of Time. And there was now a big hole in the Temple of Time. The Master Sword was the only thing that could have stopped me, but now it was gone. I roared with laughter for a few seconds, then stopped.

Not only had it not been a bad day, it had actually been quite a good one.

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long! There's another chapter in this update, so keep reading!


	17. Chapter XVI

Chapter XVI

Link

Madison screamed as the beast swung a huge fist at me. It missed and I jabbed my sword into the shiny spot on its chest. It roared in pain and I leaped out of the way of its kick. Then I used a Jump Attack do carve a huge slice down the shining spot. Quite effective for vanquishing big evil monsters, that Jump Attack. Normally, at any rate. This time, however, the move proved ineffective. Obviously, I wasn't supposed to attack the shiny spot on its chest to kill it. While dodging its attacks, I scanned the monster for any other obvious weaknesses. There, on its forehead! A much smaller point of weakness. I whipped my boomerang out of its special sheath-type thing on my bandolier. I backflipped out of the range of the beast and aimed quickly as it shambled forward. I hurled the small yellow weapon straight at its forehead. It curved around the monster's punch, although that was just luck, and made a huge slice down the spot. As it returned, I snatched it and watched as the monster froze in mid-punch. A small fork of lightning ran up its arm. I swiftly turned to Madison and shouted, "Run! Lead me to the Elemental Sanctuary!" With that, I turned around and ran, letting her go ahead of me.

When we were a good five hundred yards or so away, I heard a dull explosion—the monster dying. I stopped and leaned against a tree to catch my breath. Madison had turned back into a bunny. She was right—it was because she was touching me that she had changed form.

After a few minutes, I spoke. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she replied, and set off. "Follow me," she called over her shoulder.

I glanced behind us before doing as she ordered. Just to check.

***

We made it to the Elemental Sanctuary without any more complications. However, it was sealed and we didn't know how to open it. I stepped forward to inspect the door, or rather the wall where the door would be. I noticed vaguely that it was exactly where the Temple of Time was in Hyrule. How that worked, I didn't know…I'd come from the Temple of Time. But whatever. There was an inscription at eye level.

_In times of peril, the hero will open this door._

That was all it had on it. However, it told me that the door was there. I felt around the inscription for a clue, any clue that would open the door. And an idea so ludicrous it couldn't possibly work flitted through my head. _No way!_ I thought. _I can't just bomb the Elemental Sanctuary open! It's gotta be something more puzzling than that!_

In spite of all my past experiences as hero, I decided to try it. There seemed to be absolutely nothing else to open the sanctuary. So I called to my guide, "Stay back." Then I pulled a bomb out of its bag, set it near the inscription, and dashed away.

About five seconds later, the explosive detonated. And there was a big hole in the front of the Elemental Sanctuary.

"Sweet," I muttered, and strode in. Madison followed me.

I saw before me a large stone room. It looked like it had been there since the goddesses had created it, which wasn't completely implausible. There were four stone pedestals, each with a different stone resting on top. One was green, one red, one blue, and one purple. The four elements, I was guessing. And in the center of the elements was another pedestal. This one held the Four Sword.

It was about half again as long as the Kokiri Sword, from what I could see, and glittered as if it had never been used before—also not implausible. The crossguard was gold, and reminded me of the Master Sword's. I approached slowly. Madison trailed along behind me. When she got within ten feet of the blade, she turned back into her human form. I glanced at her, and she nodded slowly. With that, I stepped up to the sword and tossed the other one to Madison. I took the Four Sword in my left hand, and it fit perfectly. I got the feeling that I wouldn't have to loosen the blade to get it out, so I gently pulled. It slid straight out with the same sound as the Master Sword. I raised it above my head, pointing the tip towards the heavens, and stared up at it. It wasn't heavy or light—it was just the right weight that I could wield it, but it wouldn't disorient me. It was the perfect weight.

Then something very strange began to happen. It felt as if my body _and_ my soul were being ripped into four pieces. I dropped the Four Sword and heard it clang on the ground. I fell to my knees. A few seconds later, I blacked out.


	18. Chapter XVII

**Chapter XVII**

**Zelda**

There was an explosion, very far away. I jumped to my feet. The other animals looked around, but continued packing after a few seconds. I, feeling worried, stayed standing for a little longer before sitting down again.

It was boring, just sitting her and waiting for Link to return. I dozed off. I walked around. I watched the Sacred Realm dwellers pack. I stared into space. I practiced magic, which earned a few "ooo"s and "ahhh"s from those who were done packing.

Then a great cry went up. I whirled around to see Link, approaching from what had been my left. He was holding the hand of a young girl. But that's not what worried me the most…

**A/N:** Three chapters today.


	19. Chapter XVIII

**Chapter XVIII**

**Vaati**

{Boss!} hissed the Skull Kid.

{What?} I sighed.

{I've got big news…about the hero!}

I sat up immediately. {Really? What?}

{The hero learned about a legendary weapon called the Four Sword.}

{Really…} I murmured. {Continue.}

{Well, it's supposed to be more powerful even than the Master Sword!}

{What!} I scoffed. {No way. Impossible!}

{Just telling you what I learned,} he replied, sounding hurt.

{Look, even if it does exist, there's just no way it's more powerful than the Master Sword. Trust me, I can handle anything that kid throws, shoots, kicks, or otherwise sends flying at me.}

{That's true, Boss. But what if he doesn't do any of that?}

{Huh? What's that supposed to mean?}

{What if, against all odds, he manages to rescue Zelda, kill me, and fight you?}

{So what?} I asked. {I'm a better fighter than he is.}

{True, but…assuming that weapon is more powerful than the Master Sword, it'll overpower yours. Remember, yours is the dark Master Sword. Just be prepared.}

With that, he cut the link, leaving me to my own thoughts.


	20. Chapter XIX

**Chapter XIX**

**Link**

When I awoke, there were three clones of myself staring down at me.

The shock knocked me right out again. When I came to, they were still looking at me.

My immediate response was: "Wh-wh-what…the HELL?"

"See, I told you this was gonna happen!" one of them sighed in my own (exasperated) voice. I was nearly knocked out again. With difficulty, I sat up. Each was wearing exactly what I was, except in red, blue, and purple respectively. It was the blue one who had spoken.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," replied the purple one, also in my voice.

I glanced around. Madison was huddled in the corner, as far from the others as she could get. "Guys," I barked. They immediately shut up and stared at me.

I took a deep breath. "First off, can you be a little less…raucous? You're scaring Madison over there." I gestured at her with a wave of my hand. "Second…who the hell are you?"

"He doesn't know," murmured the blue one in awe. Then he spoke up. "We're your clones."

"…" was my answer. I followed this amazing piece of wisdom up with: "My…clones."

"Yeah," replied the red one. "And we're here to kick some ass."

"No, that is _not_ why we're here," muttered the blue one impatiently. "Look, you obviously don't know about the Four Sword, so I'll tell you. That blade over there on the floor, by your feet—" (I looked down) "—is a legendary weapon. The legend states that he who touches the legendary blade will split into four pieces. Each piece will be infused with one of the four elements: Fire, Water, Earth, or Wind. As you can tell by the colors, I'm Water, and Red over there is Fire. Purple is Earth. You are Wind."

I felt a tingling in my left hand and glanced down at it. The Triforce had vanished, and a new set of symbols was appearing. The four elements in a diamond shape. The green one, the one on top, glowed brighter than all the rest, then dimmed down.

"You are no longer the Hero of Time," breathed Purple Link.

"Now you're the Hero of Elements," continued Blue Link. "We each have certain abilities that relate to our element. For example, I have control over precipitation, lakes, and fish. You can make tornadoes and control things like projectiles and flying animals. Our lovely red companion over there can make volcanoes erupt, make it rain fire, and has control over dragons, phoenixes, and other creatures of flame. And Purple Link can do earthquakes, control plants, and has control over most creatures on—or in—the ground. With me?"

"Yeah. But if a dragon can fly, shouldn't I be able to control it? And what about water dragons?"

"So you figured out that we can share control over some things. For example, a Dodongo lives on the ground, so it's Purple Link's. But it's also a creature of flame, so it's also Red Link's."

"Can I fly?" I interrupted.

"Try," was Blue Link's answer.

I leaped into the air. Gravity was working just as well as usual.

"Put your mind to it," urged Blue Link.

I mentally prepared myself, pushing all thoughts of coming back down to the ground out of my head. Then I jumped again. And what a jump it was! I flew straight up, hit my head on the ceiling of the Elemental Sanctuary, and fell back to the ground. Right before hitting the ground, I remembered that I was flying (in theory) and stopped.

I was hovering in midair…without Hover Boots, too! I lowered myself to the ground and got up.

"You can fly," replied Blue Link.

"Yeah. Yeah I can." I rubbed my head. "Well…shall we go?"

"Whatever you want," Red Link informed me. "After all, you're the leader."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. We didn't say that?" asked Purple Link. "It's 'cause _you_ pulled the Four Sword out of it's pedestal. That makes you the leader."

"So…leader…" began Blue Link.

"Before you ask, we're off to confront Vaati."

"Who's Vaati?" the other three asked in unison.

"An evil sorcerer bent on plunging Hyrule into eternal darkness…just like usual. For me, anyway. Come on, let's go!"

The four of us ran out, and I gestured to Madison to follow us. She grabbed my hand again, and we ran back to the village.


End file.
